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Bread price fixing cheats the poor, gives to the rich

These people are of the same social class that hides their money in foreign countries
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Bread price fixing cheats the poor, gives to the rich

Last week, a few days before Christmas, I read some very disheartening news. It was news I was expecting but it did not involve the people I thought it would. The story shattered the myth of Canadian values while at the same time dismantling the false belief that if political parties and governments help the wealthy stay and become more wealthy the benefits will trickle down to the general population.

The headline in the Dec. 20 edition of the Globe and Mail was “Loblaw admits to bread price fixing scheme”. The headline tells the story. Since 2001 George Weston Ltd., plus other major grocery store chains as well as the major bread producers in Canada [editor’s note: other corporations have denied the allegations] have been colluding to fix the price of bread, i.e. keep prices high and eliminate the consumer benefits of honest competition.

For those who don’t know, George Weston Ltd. owns the Loblaws suite of grocery stores across Canada. George Weston and his family are among the top 10 wealthiest families in Canada. I would imagine the owners of the other supermarket chains are amongst Canada’s wealthiest as well.

The trumpet call by politicians “Canadian values must mean everyone for themselves” because here we have another example of those who have benefited the most from Canada’s economy, generous tax benefits for the wealthy, government subsidies to the food industry and lax labour laws so that businesses can continue to profit in the so-called hard times, cheating and robbing the poor to benefit their own pocket books. These people are of the same social class that hides their money in foreign countries in order to cheat the country’s tax system and the people of Canada out of billions of dollars of tax money.

Single parent families, young people, retired people, the elderly on fixed incomes, families and students struggling to make ends meet on low paying jobs, two jobs just to keep their heads above water, and, most cruel, children who go to school hungry every day, are being cheated by millionaires and billionaires on one of the most basic food items. Every Canadian should be asking themselves, if these people are of such low character as to steal food from the poor how many other schemes and dirty tricks are they doing to rob the good hard working people of this country out of their hard earned money?

Pat Sullivan

Lake Cowichan